Galeffi, Carlo

views updated

Galeffi, Carlo

Galeffi, Carlo, esteemed Italian baritone; b. Malamocco, near Venice, June 4, 1882; d. Rome, Sept. 22, 1961. He was a student of Sbrigilia in Paris and of Cotogni in Rome. In 1903 he made his operatic debut in Rome as Enrico, and then won success in Naples as Amonasro and Rigoletto. On Nov. 29, 1910, he made his only appearancce at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Germont. In 1911 he sang in the premiere of Mascagni’s Isabeau in Buenos Aires. From 1912 to 1938 he was a leading member of Milan’s La Scala, winning particular distinction in such roles as Tell, Rigoletto, Boccanegra, Nabucco, Luna, and Germont; he also created the roles of Manfredo in Montemezzi’s L ’amove dei ire Re (1913) and Fanuel in Boito’s Nerone (1924). His operatic farewell performance took place in 1954.

Bibliography

A. Marchetti, C.G.: Una vita per el canto (Rome, 1973).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire